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June 30, 2005
Welfare Reform for Iraq
William Saletan of Slate says it's time for welfare reform in Iraq. By that he means that until the U.S. pulls out, the Iraqis will refuse to stand on their own two feet, so let's get out of there.
Tonight President Bush explained how he plans to get our troops out of Iraq. "Our strategy can be summed up this way," he said. "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down."
I've heard politicians say this sort of thing before. But the politicians were liberals, and the downtrodden people they talked about were needy Americans. As these folks learned to support themselves, government would no longer need to support them, the liberals promised. As the poor stood up, we would stand down.
For 40 years, the central argument of the Republican Party—George W. Bush's party—was that liberals had it backward: If you prop people up, they'll never stand up, and you'll never stand down. You have to let go. As you stand down, they'll stand up.
Which brings us to the occupation of Iraq. In blood and money, it's fast becoming the most expensive welfare program in the history of the world. Like other welfare programs, it was a good idea when it started. Like other welfare programs, it has begun to overtax the treasury and the public. Like other welfare programs, it warps the behavior of its beneficiaries. But in one respect, it's unique. It's the one welfare program conservatives can't criticize or even recognize, because they're the ones running it.
Read the whole thing. Even though Saletan is kinder toward the war than most Root Strikers would be, his points are all well taken.
(Link courtesy Antiwar.com.)
Posted by Mike Tennant at June 30, 2005 01:23 PM
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